“The Chairman just said that there is no way that President Trump is going to touch Social Security — even though he called it a scam. And Elon Musk was on television again saying that yes, their goal is to privatize Social Security,” said Larson. “Given these statements, I do not understand why there is a problem with bringing forth Mr. Musk to testify before this committee. If all these ideas of fraud, abuse, and waste are true, then yes, Mr. Chairman, we should join with you to make sure that that’s the case. Three weeks ago, I sent a letter asking for him to come immediately before the subcommittee, and we will continue to do that because we want to hear, as does the American public, the truth.”
Even after President Trump claimed he would not cut Social Security, Elon Musk identified Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security as key targets for the Administration’s cuts on Fox Business this week.
Reports have come out that the Trump Administration plans to close Social Security field and hearing offices and significantly reduce staff at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Along with the Resolution of Inquiry, Larson introduced the Keeping Our Field Offices Open Act to put a moratorium on the closure of Social Security Field Offices and the Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act to block ‘DOGE’ access to sensitive beneficiary data.
Rep. Larson sent a letter with 152 Democrats to Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek urging him to halt plans for field and hearing office closures and for gutting the workforce. As Ranking Member of the Social Security Subcommittee, he has requested an immediate hearing about ‘DOGE’ activity at the Social Security Administration.
See a full transcript of his opening remarks from the mark-up below:
Thank you, Mr. Neal, and thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I said earlier, it’s a sad day for America. When the Committee of cognizance has to have this issue of inquiry, so that we can actually produce before the committee, instead of an empty seat and empty chairs, the person who President Trump has designated to find $2 trillion worth of cuts, a person who has publicly said that he knows where to find those. They’re in what he calls entitlements — what everybody on this committee knows, with regard to Social Security, is an earned benefit that they pay.
And so the people in your districts are wondering whether or not — because the chairman just said that there’s no way that President Trump is going to touch Social Security — even though last weekend he called it a scam. And that Elon Musk was on television just last night again saying that yes, their goal is to privatize Social Security.
Given these statements, I don’t understand why there’s a problem with bringing forth Mr. Musk to testify before this committee. And if all these ideas of fraud, abuse, and waste are true, then yes, Mr. Chairman, we should join with you to make sure that that’s the case.
But even the acting [Social Security Commissioner] hand-picked by Trump has said: ‘well, what they said about people receiving checks older than 115 years old is false.’
That’s Trump’s appointment saying that.
And so, we continue to get the ‘Big Lie,’ including this weekend again. Where they said, oh yes, and the Democratic plan is to bring illegal immigrants into the country by offering to pay them Social Security. There’s not a thread of truth to any of that.
And yet, this unaccountable person, not a federal employee, not a volunteer, but a special person who’s not had to go through Senate approval, and who this committee is now saying ‘yes, we agree with the president. He should not be accountable. He should be able to have free reign and do whatever he wants. We will willingly follow him and do whatever he says because he’s the wealthiest man in the world, and surely, he must know how to save us from ourselves.’
This program of Social Security that oh just happens to be the number one anti-poverty program for the elderly and for the children of this country. Yeah, I agree, Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump aren’t going to lose a moment’s sleep thinking about the privatization and what it means to those individuals.
And yes, you can say that he’s not going to do this, but yet there’s no commissioner here, no person under oath raising their hand and saying, ‘yes, no, we have no intention of privatizing Social Security.’
He’s made it clear time and time again, and if not, well, by all means, we’ll be happy to have him here.
We’ve sent letters. Chairman Estes knows — three weeks ago, I sent a letter asking for him to come immediately before the subcommittee, and we’ll continue to do that because we want to hear, as does the American public, the truth.
